A Different Load on the Duck Pond Express

This morning, I carted the debris Chris and I had cut down to the brush pile, which grows ever larger in our pasture.  At least little critters have some cover under it! 

I wish some quail would move in!  We have not seen quail here now in three years. 

Then I came back up to start the sprinkler in the garden for a while, since the hot sun these last few days has really beaten down everything. 

Pitiful, huh?  It's the pumpkins. 

They are getting water daily, but the sun is just beating them to pieces.  They were all perked up and nice this morning.  The draining raised bed is not for them, I'm afraid. 

The garden mums are about to start their fall display, just when the petunias have ended their summer show. 

I am watering in this bed this morning, but this mum and the one behind it are about to burst into flowery flame. 

I cut down the now-spent sunflowers, and Chris and I cut weeds and pulled vines off the compost area. 
That's a small tree growing there on the left, and I am going to cut it down this week.  Chris will be back up in October or late September to cut down a number of saplings.  You see my helpers were hard at it this morning. 

There is still some color in the beds... and you can see the sunflowers that were about to get loaded in the cart and moved down to the brush pile.  As much as we enjoyed the sunflowers, they are going to be planted somewhere else next year. Their massive stalks had to be sawed through, literally... and their roots will pull up big holes in the beds, that I'll  have to haul dirt to fill in.  I want to pass on that next year. 

And here's the Duck Pond Express, loaded with fall decorations for the house... let the decorating begin! 

Please PLEASE don't go to work, Daddy!